The present invention relates to an electronic equipment system comprising a portable electronic device such as a portable computer, and an extension device for. expanding the functions of the electronic device and for connecting external peripheral equipment to the electronic device.
The increasing portability of electronic equipment such as portable computers and mobile communication terminal equipment have the increased commercial value of such electronic equipment. Emphasis has been placed on decreasing the size and the weight of such electronic equipment, so that the equipment can be easily carried in a purse, bag, briefcase, or the like.
As the housing of the portable electronic equipment becomes a more compact size, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain space for installing connectors for connecting the portable electronic equipment to external peripheral equipment and for accommodating memory device drives such as a floppy disk drive or a CD ROM drive. Accordingly, portable computers typically have a special expansion connector for connecting to an extension device (typically called a docking station). The extension device allows a portable computer to have increased functionality comparable to that of installation-type computers.
The extension device typically has a base with a flat box shape. The upper surface of the base forms a flat mounting surface on which the portable computer can be detachably mounted.
The base includes a circuit board on which a variety of circuit components are mounted, a floppy disk drive and a CD-ROM drive. Furthermore, the side walls or the rear wall of the base include a plurality of connectors for connection to various external terminal equipment such as an external keyboard, an external display, or a printer. These floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive, circuit board and connector are electrically connected to the portable computer through the expansion connector when the portable computer is mounted on the mounting surface of the base.
The processing speed of the microprocessing units (MPUs) in portable computers has been increasing as well as the diversity of functionality for processing multimedia data. Corresponding to this increased processing capability, the MPUs consume increasingly more power and thereby generating increasing amounts of heat. When such MPUs are contained in the housing of a portable computer, the need to efficiently radiate heat from the MPU to outside the housing increases.
The portable computer typically is directly cooled by forced air convection. The extension device includes a fan unit. The ability of the cooling system of the extension device is determined by the blowing capability of the fan unit and the diameter of the exhaust port. To enhance the cooling ability of the housing, therefore, the size of the cooling fan is increased and the diameter of the exhaust port is increased in proportion thereto.
According to this constitution, however, when the portable computer is removed from the base, a large exhaust port remains exposed in the mounting surface of the base. When a user accidentally drops foreign matter, such as a clip or a staple of a stapler, on the mounting surface, such foreign matter may fall through the exhaust port and enter the base where electronic parts such as a circuit board and the components are located. When the foreign matter is electrically conductive, such foreign matter may short circuit the electronic components in the extension device, thereby damaging or rendering the extension device inoperable.
In order to prevent foreign matter from entering the exhaust port, the diameter of the exhaust port is decreased or a grid-like guard is installed on the exhaust port to prevent the infiltration of foreign matter. However, decreasing the area of the exhaust port reduces the flow of the cooling air and increases the flow resistance of the cooling air. Consequently, the amount of cooling air that is exhausted from the exhaust port is decreased, and the cooling performance of the housing is not sufficiently maintained.
According to the conventional cooling system, the exhaust port for exhausting the cooling air is arranged at a position corresponding to the MPU. In the conventional portable computers, in general, the MPU is typically located in a rear part of the housing separated away from the palm rest to suppress the effect of heat to the user. Therefore, the exhaust port of the base is formed at a position away from the central portion of the mounting surface. In the conventional cooling system, therefore, the cooling air blown from the exhaust port is blown to the rear part of the bottom wall of the housing, and is released from the extension device through a gap between the bottom wall and the mounting surface. Therefore, the bottom wall of the housing is cooled only locally.
In the conventional cooling system, furthermore, the air in the base is sucked by the fan unit. For this purpose, a plurality of suction ports is formed in the side walls or in the bottom wall of the base. When the fan unit is driven, a negative pressure acts on the suction ports, and the air on the outer side of the extension device is drawn into the base through the suction ports. According to this constitution, however, when the extension device is placed on the top board of a desk, the suction ports face the top board or the suction ports are positioned close to the top board, permitting dust and dirt on the top board to be easily drawn into the base through the suction ports. Therefore, the interior of the base is contaminated, and dust adheres on the electric circuit components in the base, causing troubles to the extension device.
In modem portable computers emphasizing the reduction of the thickness of the housing, the circuit board and the circuit components are densely packaged in the housing, making it difficult to maintain space for accommodating a fan and a heat sink. Therefore the sizes of the fan and the heat sink are decreased, making it difficult to sufficiently enhance the cooling performance of the MPU.
In particular, when the extension device is connected to the portable computer to let the MPU execute complex arithmetic processings, the MPU generates heat in correspondingly increased amounts. With the existing small fan and heat sink, therefore, it is difficult to obtain cooling performance that meets the amount of heat generated by the MPU, and the MPU is cooled insufficiently.
As a result, the temperature of the MPU exceeds an operation guarantee level, creating problems such as a delay in the processing speed and malfunctioning, and making it no longer possible to obtain maximum performance of the MPU.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic equipment system capable of preventing troubles that may result from the infiltration of foreign matter yet maintaining cooling performance for the electronic equipment, and an extension device for expanding the functions of the electronic equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic equipment system capable of efficiently cooling the electronic equipment mounted on the mounting portion and of preventing the occurrence of troubles by suppressing the suction of dust and dirt as much as possible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic equipment system capable of efficiently cooling the housing of the electronic equipment and the heat-generating body by utilizing an extension device and of obtaining performance of the electronic equipment to a sufficient degree, and the extension device for expanding the functions of the electronic equipment.
The present invention provides an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device and an extension device. The extension device has a mounting portion on where the electronic device is detachably mounted. The extension device expands the functionality of the electronic device. The extension device includes a fan unit for cooling, an opening portion formed in said mounting portion, a bottom portion facing the opening portion, and a plurality of protrusions formed on the bottom portion, protruding toward said opening portion, and arranged spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the opening portion.
The fan unit is disposed on the inside of said opening portion and blows cooling air toward the electronic device mounted on said mounting portion. The plurality of protrusions is in an air flow path of said cooling air through said extension device to said fan unit and retains foreign matter between said plurality of protrusions during cooling air flow.
In another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device having a bottom wall, and an extension device. The extension device includes a base having a mounting portion on which said electronic device is detachably mounted. The mounting portion has an exhaust port facing the bottom wall of said electronic device. A circuit is disposed in said base and expands the functions of said electronic device mounted on said mounting portion. A fan unit is disposed at said exhaust port to blow the cooling air toward the bottom wall of said electronic device. The base has a bottom portion facing said exhaust port with said fan unit sandwiched therebetween, and has a plurality of pole portions formed on the bottom portion thereof. The plurality of pole portions extends toward said fan unit and is arranged at a distance to surround said fan unit. The plurality of pole portions forms a foreign matter-trapping region under said fan unit.
The fan unit has a fan supported by said base at an attitude so that the axis of rotation of said fan is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical line that passes through said exhaust port. The plurality of pole portions have heights corresponding to the inclination of said fan unit.
In another aspect of the present invention, the fan unit is disposed on the inside of the opening to blow the cooling air toward the electronic device mounted on said mounting portion, and said plurality of protrusions are arranged maintaining a distance so as to surround said fan unit. The base may have side walls continuous to the peripheral edges of the mounting portion, and the mounting portion has a groove-like air passage continuous to said opening portion, in which the air passage is opened in the side walls.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an extension device comprises a base having a bottom wall and a mounting portion facing said bottom wall and on which an electronic device is detachably mounted, and an expansion device for expanding the functions of the electronic device in a state in which said electronic device is mounted on said mounting portion. The base includes a first opening portion formed in the mounting portion, a second opening portion formed in said bottom wall and facing the first opening portion, and a fan unit for cooling disposed between said first opening portion and said second opening portion.
The base may include a suction port is formed in the mounting portion of the base to suck the air through a gap between the mounting portion and the bottom wall of the housing.
The base of the extension device has side walls continuous to the peripheral edges of the mounting portion; and the mounting portion includes a groove-like exhaust passage communicated with the exhaust port and is opened in the side walls, and a seal to shut off the exhaust port and the exhaust passage along the gap upon contact with the bottom wall of the housing. The mounting portion may include a trench-shaped exhaust passage communicated between the exhaust port and an opening in side wall of the base of the extension device, and may also include a seal disposed along the mounting portion surrounding the trench-shaped exhaust passage to form a seal along the exhaust passage except at the opening in the side wall upon engagement of the bottom wall of the housing with the mounting portion.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device including a housing having a bottom wall in which a first communication port is formed. The system also includes an extension device having a mounting portion on which the housing of the electronic device is detachably mounted, and for expanding the functions of the electronic device. The extension device includes an opening portion formed in the mounting portion and facing the bottom wall of the housing, a fan unit for blowing the cooling air toward the opening portion, and a second communication port formed in the mounting portion and communicated with the first communication port of the housing.
The electronic device may include a circuit component disposed in the housing that generates heat during operation of the circuit component and the opening portion of the extension device is arranged at a position corresponding to the circuit component when the housing is mounted on the mounting portion. The mounting portion of the extension device has a seal which, upon mounting of the housing on the mounting portion, engages the bottom wall of the housing to air-tightly connect the first communication port and the second communication port together.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the electronic device has a first connector hole formed in the bottom wall of the housing, a first expansion connector disposed on the inside of the first connector hole, and a first gap for blowing the air formed between the first expansion connector and an opening edge of the first connector hole. A second connector hole is formed in the mounting portion of the extension device facing the first connector hole. A second expansion connector is disposed on the inside of the second connector hole. The second expansion connector is electrically connected to the extension circuit and is detachably fitted to the first expansion connector, and a second gap for blowing the air is formed between the second expansion connector and an opening edge of the connector hole. The second gap is continuous to the first gap on the side of the housing when the housing is mounted on the mounting portion.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bottom wall of the housing has an introduction port formed at a position corresponding to the circuit component and a first communication port formed at a position separated away from the introduction port. The extension device includes an exhaust port formed in the mounting portion and facing the introduction port of the housing, a fan unit for blowing the cooling air toward the exhaust port, and a second communication port formed in the mounting portion and connected to the first communication port of the housing.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device having a bottom wall, and an extension device including a mounting portion on which the electronic device is detachably mounted. The mounting portion has a fan unit disposed therein for blowing cooling air toward the bottom wall of the electronic device. The mounting portion also has an exhaust passage between the fan unit and a side wall of the mounting portion for channeling cooling air from the fan unit along the bottom wall of the electronic device towards the side wall of the mounting portion. The fan unit having an axis of rotation that is inclined toward the side wall.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device having a housing in which a heat-generating device is accommodated, and an extension device detachably coupled to the housing of the electronic device and adds additional functions to the electronic device. The extension device includes a heat conductor thermally connected to the housing when the extension device is coupled to the housing of the electronic device.
The extension device may include a mounting portion on which the housing is detachably mounted. The housing may have a bottom wall that faces the mounting portion, a first heat sink thermally connected to the heat-generating body is supported by the bottom wall, and the heat conductor is contacted to the bottom wall of the housing near the heat-generating device. The heat conductor may have a second heat sink disposed on the mounting portion, and the second heat sink may have a heat-receiving portion contacting the bottom wall of the housing. An elastically deformable heat-conducting member may be interposed between the heat-receiving portion of the second heat sink and the bottom wall of the housing.
The heat conductor may have at least one metallic fitting protuberance that protrudes beyond the mounting portion, and the housing of the electronic device may be made of a metal and may have at least one recessed fitting portion to which the fitting protuberance is detachably fitted.
The heat conductor may include a heat pipe having a first portion protruding beyond the mounting portion and a second portion guided to the interior of the extension device, and a metallic pipe cover covering the first portion of the heat pipe,. The housing may have a recessed fitting portion to which the pipe cover is detachably fitted. The mounting portion of the extension device may have a passage through which the cooling air flows, and the heat conductor is disposed in the passage.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device including a heat-generating device and a housing accommodating a first heat sink that is thermally connected to the heat-generating device, and an extension device having a mounting portion on which the electronic device is detachably mounted and a unit body with a cooling air passage through which the cooling air flows formed in the mounting portion, the extension device providing additional functions to the electronic device. The unit body of the extension device has a second heat sink that is thermally connected to the housing when the housing of the electronic device is mounted on the mounting portion, and the second heat sink is disposed in the cooling air passage.
The second heat sink may have a plurality of heat-radiating fins exposed to the cooling air passage. The unit body may include a fan for blowing the cooling air into the cooling air passage.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment system comprises an electronic device having a housing accommodating a first heat sink that is thermally connected to a heat-generating device in the housing, and an extension device including a mounting portion on which the electronic device is detachably mounted and a unit body with a cooling air passage through which the cooling air flows formed in the mounting portion. The extension device provides additional functions to the electronic device. The unit body of the extension device has a second heat sink that is thermally connected to the first heat sink penetrating through the housing when the housing of the electronic device is mounted on the mounting portion, and the second heat sink is disposed in the cooling air passage.
The unit body may include a fan for blowing the cooling air into the cooling air passage. The second heat sink may have a first portion that protrudes beyond the mounting portion and is detachably fitted to the first heat sink, and a second portion guided to the interior of the unit body. The first portion is exposed to the cooling air passage, and the second portion is facing the fan inside the unit body. The second heat sink may be a heat pipe, and a plurality of heat-radiating fins may be formed on at least either the first portion or the second portion of the heat pipe. The first portion of the heat pipe may be covered with a metallic pipe cover, and the cooling fins may be formed on an outer peripheral surface of the pipe cover. The first heat sink may have a recessed fitting portion to which the first portion of the second heat sink is detachably fitted. The second heat sink may have a heat-receiving portion that is brought into surface contact with the first heat sink.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an extension device for adding desired expansion functions to an electronic device that has a housing accommodating a heat-generating device, comprises a unit body having a mounting portion on which the housing of the electronic device is detachably mounted, and a heat-conducting means that is thermally connected to the housing when the housing is mounted on the mounting portion of the unit body.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, an extension device for adding desired expansion functions to an electronic device that has a housing accommodating a heat-generating body and a first heat sink for promoting the radiation of heat of the heat-generating body, comprises a unit body having a mounting portion on which the housing is detachably mounted, the mounting portion having, formed therein, a cooling air passage through which the cooling air flows, and a second heat sink that is thermally connected to the first heat sink penetrating through the housing when the housing is mounted on the mounting portion of the unit body. The second heat sink is disposed in the cooling air passage.